Turbine plant



J; H. DALTRY TURBINE PLANT Filed June 2, 1969 May 12; 1 970 United States Patent lice 3,511,481 TURBINE PLANT John Harold Daltry, Rugby, England, assignor to The English Electric Company Limited, London, England,

use]. 261-118. 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention provides an improved arrangement of stepped-series condenser system, that is to say a system coprising a numberof condensers, each connected to a steam turbine exhaust outlet, which are arranged at different levels and connected in series ,by feeding the condensate from each condenser to the cooling water inlet of the next lower condenser. The improved arrangement results in a reduction in the basement height normally required for such a system ,and comprises providing a number of cooling water inlets and condensate outlets at different levelsover the height of each condenser, thereby enabling sever-a1 series connections to be made between adjacent condensers.

This is a divisional application of my application Ser. No. 663,042, filed Aug. 24, 1967, from which I claim the benefit of the filing date thereof, under 35 U.S.C. 120.

This invention relates to condenser systems for condensing steam from a turbine plant, which plant is of the kind having at least two steam exhaust outlets.

In such plant it is known to provide a direct-contact steam condenser for each exhaust outlet, said condensers being positioned beneath their corresponding exhaust outlet at diiferent levels, to provide a cooling water supply to the uppermost condenser, and to connect the condensate outlet of each condenser, except the lowest, to the cooling water inlet of the condenser at the next lower level so that the cooling water and condensate collected from the condensers passes in series through all of the condensers to the condenser at the lowest level. Such a condenser system will hereinafter be referred to as a stepped-series condenser system.

A major disadvantage of the known stepped-series condenser system is that a very deep basement is required beneath the condensing steam turbine plant to house the condensers.

One arrangement for at least reducing the basement height is described and claimed in my copending US. patent application, Ser. No. 663,042 filed Aug. 24, 1967, from which the present application is divided out, and comprises arranging the uppermost condenser at or above the level of its corresponding turbine exhaust outlet.

The present invention provides an alternative arrangement for at least reducing the basement height which may be used, if desired, in conjunction with the arrangement of my said copending patent application.

According to the present invention, in a stepped-series condenser system for condensing steam plant, at least each condenser of the series except the lowermost condenser of the series is provided with a plurality of condensate outlets at different levels, each of which outlets is connected to cooling water inlet means of the condenser at the next lower level.

Thus, in one arrangement of the invention at least all 3,511,481 Patented May12, 197Q 2 of the condensers except the lowermost may be provided with corresponding pluralities of cooling water inlets, the inlets of each condenser being arranged at different levels over the height of said condenser, and each inlet of each condenser may have a condensate outlet associated there- I with which is arranged below the level of said inlet, each I and said outlet being connected to that inlet of the condenser of the next lower level which corresponds with the inlet with which said outlet is associated.

. In order that the invention may be readily understood and further features made apparent, two embodiments of stepped-series condenser system constructed in accordance with the invention, will now be described, by Way of example, with reference to the accompany drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of the first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational of the second embodiment. 1

With reference to FIG. 1, a stepped-series condenser system comprises a pair of vertically mounted directcontact condensers 80, 81, each having an exhaust-steam inlet 82 at its upper end and four encircling waterboxes 83, 84 respectively. The waterboxes 84 and the lower end of the condenser 81 are mounted at lower levels than the corresponding parts of the condenser 80, the water outlet 85 for the system being at the bottom of condenser 8-1.

Each waterbox 83 of the upper condenser 80 has a separate cooling water inlet 86 and is provided with spray nozzles 87. Each waterbox 84 of the lower con- FIG. 2 shows an alternative form of stepped-series condenser system in which a direct-contact condenser 90 has a side inlet 91 for steam and a bottom outlet '92 for water. One waterbox 93, having a cooling-water inlet 94 and spray nozzles 95 facing downwards, is mounted at the top of the condenser, and three further waterboxes 96, each with its own cooling-water inlet 94 and downward-facing spray nozzles 95-, are arranged one above the other within the condenser and extending laterally into the condensing space 97 thereof. Each of the three waterboxes 96 is formed so as to act as a tray for re ceiving water. In the example shown, which is only one of many possible arrangements for these trays, the top face 96A of each waterbox 96- is inclined downwardly towards the steam inlet 91, the tray being completed by a collecting portion 98 connected through a pipe 99 (similar to the pipe 88 in FIG. 1) connected to the corresponding waterbox of a condenser at a lower level. It can be seen that with this arrangement, as with that shown in FIG. 1, the condenser at the lower level need not be mounted at such a low level as would be the case if the water was all collected from the bottom of the upper condenser.

The condenser of FIG. 2 serves to collect water as soon as its temperature has reached substantially that of the steam, and to remove it in such a Way as not to obstruct the steam flow appreciably. There may be a single outlet from the turbine supplying all the waterboxes 93, 96. Condensers such as shown in FIG. 2 can be used as singlestage condensers, the water leaving the trays then passing (for example) down the backof the condenser to minimize obstruction of the steam flow or of the remaining condensing areas, instead of leaving through the pipes 99.

The condensers shown in FIG. 1, or either of them, may be adapted for entry of steam at the-side instead of at the top, the condensers being positioned accordingly relative to. the turbine. Suitably adapted, condensers of the general kind typified by the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be used in conjunction with the invention describedand claimed in my copending US. patent application, Ser. No. 663,042.

In arrangements such as those shown ,in FIGS. 1 and 2, there may be any convenient number of waterboxes, with their associated inlets and spray nozzles arranged at different levels, the four shown being only an example.

I claim:

1. A stepped-series condenser system for condensing steam from a turbine plant of the kind having at least two steam exhaust outlets, characterized in that a plurality of condensate outlets are provided for at least each condenser of the series except the lowermost, the condensate outlets of each condenser being positioned at difierent levels over its height and each outlet of each condenser being connected to a cooling-water inlet of the condenser at the next lower level.

2. A stepped-series condenser system according to claim 1, characterized in that corresponding pluralities of cooling-water inlets are provided for at least all of the condensers except the lowermost, the inlets of each condenser being arranged at different levels over the height of said condenser, and each inlet of each condenser having a condensate outlet associated therewith which is arranged below the level of said inlet, each said outlet being connected to that inlet of the condenser of the next lower level which corresponds with the inlet with which said outlet is associated.

3. A stepped-series condenser system according to claim 2, characterized in that each cooling-water inlet comprises a waterbox, and a plurality of spray nozzles are provided for each waterbox which are directed towards the interior of its respective condenser, and each condensate outlet comprises a collecting vessel.

4. A stepped-series condenser system according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one of the condensers of the series has its water-box mounted on, or formed integrally with, a side wall of said condenser, the spray nozzles of the waterbox are arranged to direct coolingwater towards the centre of the condensen'and the condensate collecting vessels of the condenser are supported in a central position within said condenser.

5. A stepped-series condensing system according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one of said condensers of the series is arranged to receive exhaust steam through a side opening and has its waterboxes arranged in layers, each waterbox layer having its spray nozzles directed towards the next lower waterbox layer, and said condensate collecting vessel for each waterbox layer being carried by or being formed in the upper surface of the next lower waterbox layer.

6. A stepped-series condenser system according to claim 1, characterized in that the lowermost condenser is provided with a single condensate outlet at the bottom thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS TIM R. MILES, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. -110 

